Door Into Summer
by Sainte Matthewe
Summary: Rufus ShinRa, his last moments, and his regrets


Door Into Summer 

Door Into Summer 

Sainte Matthewe 

Author's Note: Rufus Shin-Ra and all other related terms are copyright 1997(?) by Squaresoft. "Door Into Summer", lyrics and music are copyright 1968(?) by Rhino Records/ Screen Gems. Italicized words are characters' thoughts. 

*** 

With his Fool's Gold stacked up all around him 

From a killing in the Market on the War 

The Children left King Midas there, as they found him, 

In his counting house, where nothing counts but more 

The elevator was out. Crap! What more could go wrong? His world was crashing down all around him, although he had everything; wealth, power, and prestige. These things shouldn't be happening to him. With a heavy sigh, Rufus Shin-Ra turned reluctantly to the stairs. 

And he thought he heard the echoes of a pennywhistle band 

And the laughter from a distant caravan 

And the brightly pained line of circus wagons in the sand 

Fading through the door into summer… 

Halfway to the top floor office, he stopped on a landing, and sagged against the railing, panting. He never realized how unnecessarily tall this building was. An elevator ride took mere moments, but it was out of the question. The elevator wasn't working. Nothing was. 

Rufus hauled himself upright as the building shuddered beneath his feet. The mako cannon was charging up. Scarlet named it the Sister Ray, he reminded himself. Dumb broad. 

With his travellouges of Maybe Next Year places 

As a trade-in for a name upon the door 

And he pays for it with years he cannot buy back with his tears 

When he finds out there's been no one keeping score 

At last he was in his office. He sank, exhausted into the plushest of the chairs, but Rufus knew rest wouldn't come. Too much to think about. Too much to do. Too many regrets… He wished whole-heartedly he wasn't here, as years of missed vacations and sacrificed holidays flashed behind his eyes. He buried his face in his elbow, and unbidden, tears flowed. 

Wiping the moisture away with his jacket sleeve, he raised his head. All right. So it wasn't exactly how he wanted to live, but it was how he had to live. The choice wasn't his to make. But still… 

And he thought he heard the echoes of a pennywhistle band 

And the laughter from a distant caravan 

And the brightly painted line of circus wagons in the sand 

Fading through the door into summer… 

Missed opportunities, a love that slipped through his fingers. It was a privileged life, but not a good one… 

Rufus tried to rid himself of the memories with a shake of his blond head. He could not understand why these thoughts were occurring to him now. 

Yes, he thought he heard the echoes of a pennywhistle band 

And the laughter from a distant caravan 

And the brightly painted line of circus wagons in the sand 

Fading through the door into summer… 

The building shuddered. The young president could feel it, through his feet, and through his chair, but all was quiet as he stood and began to walk across the room. He took a few steps, and the balding shook again. 

"Mister President." The intercom crackled on. "The Sister Ray is now at eighty-seven per cent, and WEAPON is at eight thousand yards and closing fast. Awaiting your orders, sir." The building shook again, with the great monster's footsteps. 

For a long moment, Rufus stood silent, and the continued to the huge plate glass panorama, where WEAPON loomed. He placed an upturned palm on the cool glass. Looking out, he felt no fear, only hollow. 

Closing his eyes, he ran a hand through his hair, and turned back to his desk, while the whole building shook. He sat down, again, and pressed the talk button on the intercom. "Are you still there?" 

"Yessir!" 

Rufus regarded the little machine strangely. Funny how such an ordinary object can seem so ominous… He pushed the thought away, and continued. "When I give the word, fire the mako cannon." 

"Yessir!" 

The tremors got closer and more intense. At their most powerful, the little intercom crackled on, once more. "Sir, WEAPON is at 1000 yards and the Sister Ray is at full power." 

"…Then, fire." 

Fading through the door into summer… 

When a person is about to die, his life is supposed to flash before his eyes, but why did I see only regrets? 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


End file.
